1UJefta, igorha lejoni laseGiliyadi, wayengunyana wehenyukazi elithile. Uyise uGiliyadi 2wayenabanye oonyana, bezalwa ngumkakhe; bathi bakukhula bamgxotha uJefta. Bathi kuye: “Wena awunakuzuza lifa kwindlu katata; kaloku uzalwa mfazi wumbi.” 3Wasaba ke uJefta kubantakwabo, waya kuhlala kumhlaba waseTobhi. Apho ke kwabuthelana kuye iindlavini ezithile, zaza zaba ngamahlakani akhe.
4Ekuhambeni kwethuba ke ama-Amon alwa namaSirayeli. 5Kuthe ke kwakuba nje amadoda amakhulu aseGiliyadi asuka alanda uJefta eTobhi, 6athi: “Yiba yinjengele yethu, khon' ukuze sibe nako ukulwa nama-Amon.”
7Waphendula ke yena wathi: “Andithi na kanene nandithiya kangangokuba nada nandigxotha endlwini kabawo. Ngani ke ngoku ukuba nithi nakuba sengxakini nize kum?”
8Ke wona azibika kuye athi: “Ewe, naxa kunjalo sibhenela kuwe ngoku, kuba sifuna uhambe nathi, ulwe nama-Amon. Uya kuba yintloko yethu sonke thina maGiliyadi.”
9UJefta ke wathi kumadoda aseGiliyadi: “Ukuba ndithe ndabuyela kuni, ndaza ngoncedo lukaNdikhoyo ndawoyisa ama-Amon, ngaba niyavuma ngenene ukuba ndibe yintloko yenu?”
10Aphendula ke athi: “UNdikhoyo lingqina lethu. Inene, siya kwenza njengoko usitsho.” 11Ngenene ke uJefta wagoduka nawo amadoda amakhulu aseGiliyadi, baza ke abantu bakhona bammisela waba yintloko nenjengele yabo. Ke uJefta wayivakalisa imiqathango yokuvumelana kwabo eMizpa phambi koNdikhoyo.
12UJefta ke wathumela izigidimi kukumkani wama-Amon, ebuza esithi: “Yintoni isizekabani sokuba ulihlasele ilizwe lakowethu?”
13Ukumkani wama-Amon waziphendula izigidimi zikaJefta, wathi: “Ngokuya amaSirayeli ayevela eJiputa athatha umhlaba wam, ukusuka kumlambo iAnoni, ukuya kwiJabhoki, kuye kuqhina ngeJordan. Wubuyiseni ke ngoku ngaphandle kokuxambulisana.”
14UJefta ke wathumela kwaizigidimi, ephendula ukumkani wama-Amon, 15esithi: “UJefta uthi: ‘Hayi, uyaphazama; uSirayeli zange athathe mhlaba wamaMowabhi namhlaba wama-Amon. 16Nantsi into eyenzekayo: AmaSirayeli ukuphuma kwawo eJiputa, anqumla intlango, aya kutsho kuLwandle oluBomvu, agaleleka eKadeshe. 17Athumela izigidimi kukumkani wase-Edom, ecela ukuba awavumele acande emhlabeni wakhe. Kodwa ke yena zange awavumele. Kwakhona athumela kukumkani waseMowabhi, acela ukuba awavumele anqumle emhlabeni wakhe, kodwa naye zange avume. Ngoko ke amaSirayeli ahlala apho eKadeshe. 18Asuka ke anqumla intlango, awucezela umhlaba wase-Edom nowaseMowabhi, ada aya kufika kwimpuma yeMowabhi, ngaphesheya komlambo iAnoni. Akazange angene kwelaseMowabhi, kuba kaloku iAnoni yayingumda. 19AmaSirayeli athumela kuSihon ukumkani wama-Amori eHeshbhon, athi: “Sivumele sinqumle siye emhlabeni wethu.” 20Kambe ke zange uSihon akholiseke ukuba banqumle emhlabeni wakhe. Suka waqokelela umkhosi wakhe eJahazi, waza wahlasela uSirayeli. 21Kodwa ke uNdikhoyo uThixo wamaSirayeli wamnikela ezandleni zamaSirayeli uSihon nomkhosi wakhe wonke. Ngoko ke amaSirayeli awuthimba wonke umhlaba wama-Amori awayehlala kuloo mmandla; 22ewe, wonke loo mhlaba wama-Amori, ukusuka ezantsi eAnoni ukuya kutsho phezulu eJabhoki, ngokunjalo nokusuka empuma entlango ukuya kuthi xhaxhe ngeJordan entshonalanga. 23Ngoko ke nguNdikhoyo uThixo wamaSirayeli owawagxothayo ama-Amori, khon' ukuze kungene abantu bakhe amaSirayeli. Ngaba uzama ukuwohlutha kuthi ke ngoku? 24Hlala wena naloo ndawo akunike yona uKemoshi uthixo wakho. Ke thina siza kuhlala kule siyinikwe nguNdikhoyo uThixo wethu. 25Ngaba wena ungcono kunoBhalaki unyana kaZipora, ukumkani waseMowabhi? Andithi yena zange acele mngeni kuSirayeli! Wakha walwa nathi kakade? 26Ngamakhulu amathathu eminyaka uSirayeli emi eHeshbhon naseAruri nakwiidolophu ezikuloo mmandla, ngokunjalo nakwizixeko eziphezu komlambo iAnoni. Ubukade uwuyekeleni lo mhlaba? 27Hayi bo, andikhange ndikwenze nto mna! Nguwe onxaxhayo ngokundihlasela. UNdikhoyo uMgwebi makagwebe ngokwakhe namhlanje phakathi kwamaSirayeli nama-Amon.’ ” 28Kambe ke ukumkani wama-Amon zange alukhathalele olu daba lukaJefta.
29Ke uJefta wafikelwa nguMoya kaNdikhoyo. Wanqumla iGiliyadi nommandla wakwaManase, waya kutsho eMizpa eGiliyadi, waza ke waphuma apho waya kuhlasela ama-Amon. 30UJefta wabhambathisa kuNdikhoyo wathi: “Ukuba ngenene uwanikele kum ama-Amon, 31into yokuqala ephume endlwini yam yandihlangabeza xa ndibuya sekuluxolo iya kuba yekaNdikhoyo; ndiya kuyenza idini elitshiswayo.”
32Ngoko ke waphuma uJefta, waya kulwa nama-Amon, waza ke uNdikhoyo wawanikela esandleni sakhe. 33Wawavuthulula ukusuka eAruri ukuya eMiniti; yaba ngamashumi amabini ezixeko ukuya kutsho eAbhele-keramin. USirayeli wawangenela kwajub' ugodo, oyisakala ama-Amon.
UJefta nentombi yakhe
34UJefta xa abuyayo esiya kufika emzini wakhe eMizpa, yaphuma intombi yakhe, yamhlangabeza ingqiyaza, ihamba ingqungqa, idlala intambula. Yayingumntwana okukuphela kwakhe, engenanyana nantombi ngaphandle kwakhe. 35Wathi ke akuyibona wakhathazeka, waziqwenga iimpahla zakhe. Wadanduluka wathi: “Awu, mntwan' am! Ngani ukuba undenjenje ukundixhela! Nguwe ngoku isizekabani sentlungu yam? Ewe, ndifungile ndamthembisa *uNdikhoyo, ngoko ke andinakubuya ngamva!”
36Yathi ke yona kuyise: “Hayi, tata, xa ubumthembisile uNdikhoyo ndenze loo nto ubumthembise ukuba uya kuyenza ngam; kaloku yena ukuphumelelisile wakuphindezela ezintshabeni zakho ama-Amon.”
37Ke yona yacela kuyise yathi: “Kambe ke, tata, ndicela le nto yodwa: Khawundiyeke iinyanga zibe mbini, khon' ukuze ndikhe ndibhadule nabalingane bam ezintabeni, ndiyizilele into yokuba ndiza kuhlala ndiyintombi.”
38Wavuma ke uyise, yaza ke yona yemka iinyanga zambini. Yahamba nezinye iintombi ezingabalingane bayo ibhadula ezintabeni, yazilela ubuntombi bayo. 39Zakuphela iinyanga ezimbini yabuyela kuyise, waza ke yena wenza ngokwesibhambathiso sakhe kuNdikhoyo. Ngoko ke yahlala iyintombi nto.
Saqala kanjalo ke esi sithethe sakwaSirayeli 40sokuba minyaka le iintombi zithathe iintsuku ezine zizilele intombi kaJefta waseGiliyadi.
